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ESPN wisely works the MSG crowd into a hostile frenzy by showing the obligatory "KNICKS UNDER ISIAH THOMAS" graphic. Has there ever been rioting at an NBA draft before?

9:34 -- Stephen A. on the No. 20 pick: "I'M A BORN AND RAISED NEW YORKER, OK? YOU HAVE GOT TO GET A DOG ON THIS ROSTER, I DON'T CARE WHERE YOU FIND HIM. I DON'T CARE, YOU GOT TO GET SOMEONE WHO WILL BE IN PEOPLE'S FACE, SOMEONE WHO'S HARDCORE. YOU LOOK AT ISIAH THOMAS AND HIS DRAFT HISTORY ... YOU KNOW THAT HE KNOWS TALENT ... THIS PICK HAS GOT TO WORK. IT'S GOT TO WORK!"

(Translation: The Knicks need to pick someone good.)

9:36 -- There are those moments in sports when you expect something great, and then it actually happens. And then there are those rare moments in sports when you expect something great, and something even greater happens. This was one of those moments: The Knicks on the clock, the crowd pushing for Marcus Williams, and then ...

--Stern: "With the 20th pick, the New York Knicks select ... Renaldo Balkman."

(Crowd explodes in horror.)

--Stern (over the boos): "Renaldo is not here."

--Patrick (without missing a beat): "And it's probably a good thing."

(Shot of a beaten-down Spike Lee laughing hysterically.)

9:36 -- That was fantastic. Everyone kept e-mailing me to write about Isiah and the Knicks last week ... what else was there to say? OF COURSE Isiah was meant to coach this team as his final job in the NBA before retiring to a life of greeting people at casinos and doing informercials. If somebody clogs your toilet, you ask him to clean up the mess. That's just the way life works. I'm telling you, we're going to remember the Isiah/Knicks Era the same way we remember things like Enron, the Hindenberg and the Bay of Pigs. It's reached that level. I don't know what else to say. Honestly. I have Knicks fans e-mailing me every day asking me if it's OK to root against their own team. What else can you say at this point?

(Wait, I know ... Renaldo Balkman!)

9:37 -- A stammering Bilas sets off three minutes of Isiah-bashing by saying, "This to me is a stunner, I'm stunned. This is a second-round player. Nobody else would have taken him in the first round," followed by Greg Anthony using the word "befuddling" and Stephen A. (maybe for the first time ever) admitting, "I'm almost speechless."

I mean, when Stephen A. is almost speechless ...
...
9:45 -- Just trying to cheer myself up by thinking about all the Knicks fan/friends I'm e-mailing tomorrow with "Renaldo Balkman!" in the subject heading. That's gonna be fun.

10:02 -- Bilas on Rondo vs. Kyle Lowry (Memphis' 24th pick): "If those two got into a fight, I'd pick Lowry." Don't worry, it was even more confusing when it happened in real time. Everyone's punchy. What a draft. I can't wait for the Knicks' 29th pick -- at the rate we're going, Isiah could draft Barbaro and we wouldn't be surprised.

Ladies and gentleman, Isiah's last first-round pick he will ever make in the NBA ...

(Drumroll please ...)

Temple guard Mardy Collins! Wow, that was anticlimatic. The consensus from the ESPN guys seems to be "not bad." But you know what? That's the perfect place to end Draft Diary X. Mardy Collins isn't just the answer to a trivia question some day, he represents the end of an error, er, era. What a night.

Analysis: From 1995 to 2004, the Knicks were the worst drafting team in the NBA, according to our John Hollinger. Isiah Thomas did a pretty good job of reversing course the last two years, but took two major steps backwards this year.

I understand why Thomas likes Renaldo Balkman -- he's the anti-Knick. He's a hard working, blue-collar athlete who scraps and fights for everything he gets. He doesn't want to shoot 20 times a game and doesn't have a 40-man entourage whispering in his ear about how great he is.

But I just don't think Balkman has the talent to warrant a first-round selection. He might have the right attitude, but I can't see him as anything more than a marginal role player in the NBA.

Given who was on the board when Thomas selected Balkman -- including Marcus Williams, Rajon Rondo and Shannon Brown -- I think this was a wasted pick.

The Knicks' second first-rounder was better -- sort of. Mardy Collins is a big combo guard who knows how to play. But his lack of athleticism and shaky jumper combined with the fact that the Knicks already have four combo guards on their roster means that he's unlikely to contribute much.

James Dolan said in a press conference this week that Isiah had a year to turn the Knicks around or he would be fired. I wonder if Isiah just moved up the timetable on his exit.

Does Isiah Thomas know that this is Renaldo Balkman, and not Rolando Blackman? Unlike the former Mavs guard, this 6-7 forward is a virtual unknown. He is an intriguing energy player who emerged at the pre-draft camp, but he probably could have been had at No. 29 (when the Knicks have another pick) or the second round. If he doesn't pan out, Isiah might never hear the end of this one.

Burns on the Mardy Collins pick:

Hard to argue with this one. Collins was by most accounts the highest-rated player on the board here. Collins is a big guard who can defend and understands the game. He could turn out to be a solid contributor, but how he'll get minutes in a crowded Knicks backcourt is a mystery right now. But hey, at least Isiah didn't draft Fayalette Veler, er, Lafayette Lever, er, never mind ...

LOSER: Isiah Thomas
The NBA draft is Christmas in June for Detroit Lions president Matt Millen, the day that Isiah Thomas reaffirms to everyone that it is he, and not Millen, who is the worst executive in professional sports. Called a "bum" by one Knicks fan in the crowd, Train Wreck Thomas used the 20th pick on an undersized forward out of South Carolina who never averaged double-figure points or rebounds, exasperating even the mild-mannered Bilas and prompting him to rip Isiah to shreds.

In addition to his general manager duties, Thomas was named Knicks coach late last week and was immediately declared a lame duck by owner James Dolan, who has all the brains of a Manhattan manhole cover. Nothing ensures maximum effort like letting the players know that, if they lose, the coach that is screaming at them to pass the ball will be fired. Fortunately, with a roster that includes Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry and Stevie Franchise Killer, effort is never a question with the Knicks.

Anyway, Isiah needs immediate help to save his career. So, naturally, he takes Renaldo Balkman, a prospect that no one thought was going to crack the top 40 picks. After Bilas ripped the move out of shock – "he's a second-rounder … no one would have made this pick" – he tried to recover by comparing Balkman to a potential Dennis Rodman. Yeah, well, the Potential Dennis Rodman averaged 4.6, 4.8 and 6.3 rebounds a game the last three years.

Unless Balkman has a lot of tattoos, a drinking problem and a habit to land ridiculously hot women, I can't see where Rodman fits in the discussion. On the bright side, Balkman was the MVP of the NIT. That says something, right?

The Nets also snagged Josh Boone, a player whose stock slid considerably with his sub-par 2005-06 season. New Jersey won't need him to score, which is a plus because Boone has no real post-up moves. They will simply look to him to defend, rebound and hustle - three things the Nets were desperately missing from their front-court this past season. See? It's not too hard to take an honest look at your roster and fill holes via the draft.

Well, unless you're the type of team that feels that Renaldo Balkman is an acceptable pick at No. 20. To be fair, Knicks' overlord Isiah Thomas has a terrific track record in the draft, but there's no way the offensively-challenged Balkman should've gone that high. None. I do like how Thomas targeted defensive-minded role players (along with Mardy Collins at No. 29), but common sense must be exercised when making a first-round selection. What else is there to say?

I do not know much about the kid out of Temple, only that he performed badly at some teams workouts but prior to that he was a Lottery Pick Possibility. He is from Temple, so we know he will play hardnosed defense at the very least.

but Balkman is going to get some minutes at the SF for his high energy defense alone. He is from Tampa and one of my best friends lives down there and helped this kid out growing up. He has nothing but compliments for the kid of course. But he also added that opposing teams will grow tired of chasing the kid, he has a lot of RODMAN energy. He can shoot good from midrange but he is mostly known for his defense in the Summer Leagues he messed around in.

With the scoring on the team NOT an issue, it makes sense to add some guys known for defense. In our new run and gun offense we will occasionaly need a stop...

I like our draft, I do think we MAY have been able to workout a deal with a team wanting Marcus Williams, but give the team credit, they got the people they wanted...